


Lee and Julia

by episkey (LizzieC)



Category: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Genre: Community: no_takebacks, Gen, Secondary Characters, lee is spiky, post-New Caprica
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-25
Updated: 2012-11-25
Packaged: 2017-11-19 12:39:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/573352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizzieC/pseuds/episkey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Originally written over at no_takebacks on LJ. The aim was to write a conversation pertaining to the Lee/Kara relationship between Lee or Kara and a character they had very little or no contact with. I chose Julia Brynne (mother of Kacey) and Lee.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lee and Julia

"Karraaaaaaaaa!"

Lee heard the sound long before he saw the originator of it.  He'd been striding though Galactica's corridors wearing his best CAG-I'm-busy-don't-you- _dare_ -bother-me look, deep in thought.  Truth be told, Lee was struggling to adapt to life on board Galactica again.  _Yes,_ he thought, _I was under orders on Pegasus, but I felt much more in control of my own life.  I'd forgotten what it was like, being CAG._ He frowned as his thoughts flowed from thoughts of being CAG to thoughts of Kara.  _Starbuck_ , he corrected himself.  _Just another pilot.  Just another screw up._

Lee always tried to keep a lid on thoughts of _her_ because they always made him feel so much worse.  It was just when he was struggling to put thoughts of Starbuck back in that box again, the one that kept her contained and made him able to function, that the noise started.

_How can I keep her in her frakking box if someone is shouting her frakking name?_   Irritated, Lee spun around, looking for the source of the noise.  Stupid _, that’s not an adult voice_ , he realised _That’s a child_.  Training his eyes lower he picked out a small blonde girl toddling along the corridor as fast as her legs could carry her, weaving between Galactica personnel who were clearly trying to go about their duties.

Lee sighed in exasperation.  _Nowhere else to be right now, I should take care of this.  Then at least everyone else can get on with their jobs without a toddler getting in their way._

As the child was about to weave her way past him, Lee knelt down and caught her up in his arms.

“Who do you belong to?” Lee asked, but was greeted only with a stream of babytalk that made very little sense to him.  Not recognising the child as that of anyone he knew, he started to walk towards Camp Oil Slick, reasoning that the child was most likely to belong to someone there.  He was met at the hatch by a worried looking woman who was similar enough to the baby for Lee to realise that she was the mother.

“Oh thank gods,” the woman grabbed hold of the child, taking her into her arms and embracing her tightly, “Kacey, what have I told you about wandering off?”  She turned to Lee.  “Julia Brynne” she said, stretching out her hand to shake his.  “Thank you so much for bringing her back.  I’m sorry if she was a nuisance.”

Lee bristled at her tone.  “Major Adama.”  He snapped out, sounding and feeling much more like the person who had arrived on Galactica before the fall than he had done in a long time.  “You need to keep a better eye on her.  Do you have any idea how many places there are that she could get injured here, or the damage she could do to vital systems on the ship?  We don’t have time to run around after children to make sure they don’t get hurt, we have _work_ to do.”

Julia recoiled at his words and Lee hesitated for a moment, feeling instantly sorry for being so spiky with this woman who must have lost nearly everything in the fall of the colonies, and then lost it all again in the second exodus.

“I’m sorry, that was more sharp than I had intended,” Lee looked suddenly tired.  “Just please, keep a better eye on her in future.”  He turned to go, halting in surprise when Julia called out “Major Adama?  You’re the CAG?”

“Yes?”

“Can I talk to you please?  I’m worried about one of your pilots...”

Lee knew without even being told which pilot she was referring to.  Given Kacey had been yelling _her_ name as she’d been running it wouldn’t have been a difficult conclusion to come to, but even without that Lee realised he would have known.  He surprised himself by being willing to listen.

Julia looked at him, readjusting her hold on Kacey who had been trying to wriggle her way down.  “Is there somewhere we can talk in private please?”

 

\---

 

Lee dogged the hatch to the pilots ready room and gestured to Julia that she should take one of the many seats.  Lee sat down on the step near the podium.

“I owe Kara Thrace _everything_ , Major Adama.” Julia started.  “I thought I’d lost Kacey on New Caprica and I honestly didn’t know how I could go on...” her voice caught as Lee saw written all over the woman’s face the pain and strain that the separation had caused.  Lee stood up and got Julia a glass of water, and she collected herself as she sipped it before continuing in more measured tones, as if she was struggling to keep her emotions in check, “and then I stepped off that Raptor and Kacey was there, and she was being cared for.  Kara Thrace brought my baby back to me.  She gave my _life_ back to me.”

Lee nodded.  “I can see why you feel that way about Captain Thrace, but I don’t understand why you feel like you need to talk to me about her.”  Lee tried to keep his own emotions in check, trying not to repeat his mistake of earlier by speaking unnecessarily harshly.

“I’ve been having contact with her since we left New Caprica, you know.  I’ve been trying to keep her in touch with Kacey, who is mad about her, and to thank Kara for rescuing my baby.”  Julia paused to look at the child in her arms who was drifting off to sleep.  “I think there’s something really wrong with her, Major Adama.  At first she seemed happy to see Kacey, but she’s been rejecting us recently.  She seems to be coming unglued and I can’t help her.  I’m talking to you, because I don’t know who else I can talk to.  I’ve been there when I thought I’d lost Kacey for good, and I can see what’s happening to her and I know she needs help.  She needs someone.”

Julia paused, looking up at Lee, and he knew that his face betrayed him.  The reason Kara wouldn’t stay in her box was because he cared _too much_ about her, and in revealing how much trouble Kara was in, Julia had got around his defensive walls around his feelings about her, making him forget all his thoughts about how much he hated her.  It left only the hurt from that night and love he felt for Kara.

“Please, Major Adama, please get her the help she needs.”

Lee nodded, trying to stop the tears he felt pricking at his eyes.  “It’s okay Julia.  I’ll make sure she doesn’t fall through the cracks.”

Julia let herself out, leaving Lee alone with his thoughts.


End file.
